It is named after its main municipal, commercial and administrative centre, Nebbi, the location of the district headquarters.

[1] Nebbi, where the district headquarters are located approximately 77 kilometres (48 mi), by road, southeast of Arua, is the largest town in the sub-region.

There is a small airstrip near Nebbi which can be reached using commercial flights from Entebbe Airport.

There is a Catholic cathedral in Nebbi, and the Anglican diocese is based in Goli, a town situated at the border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo, about 15 kilometres (9.3 mi), by road south of Nebbi.

The first bishop of the Anglican diocese of Nebbi was Henry Luke Orombi, who is the immediate past archbishop of the Church of Uganda.